I have spent my life serving a community that believes in fairness, hard work, and the promise that every voice counts. Proposition 50 betrays that promise. It hands power back to politicians who think they are above the people. It rips control away from voters and gives it to insiders behind closed doors. That is not democracy. That is a power grab.
Californians created an independent redistricting commission because we were tired of politicians drawing their own safe seats. We demanded transparency. We demanded public input. We demanded maps that respected communities. Prop 50 wipes that away. It substitutes secret political maps for community voices. It tells voters to sit down and accept what the political class has already cooked up.
Everyone loses when politicians rig the lines. Independents lose. Republicans lose. Democrats lose. But I am especially worried about Latinos in Southeast Los Angeles County. Many of our families came from countries where leaders cut up districts to keep power and silence whole neighborhoods. Coming here as a refugee escaping communism made me appreciate the value of our voices. We know what it looks like when the government redraws the map to pick its voters. It starts with lines on a map. It ends with fewer seats at the table and fewer champions fighting for us…